Ghosts of the Past
by Kitsune232
Summary: It had been five years since that day. Five years since the tragedy that ended her sister's life; five years since she began anew in America; and five years since she'd set foot in Japan- the place where it all began. T for darker themes and frames of mind.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club; that honor belongs to Bisco Hatori and Funimation.**

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**A/N: It's done! It's _finally_ done! **

**As you'll probably be able to tell, it is my first time to ever write anything in a 3rd person POV. **

**Depending on the reviews I get, I may or may not switch to 1st Person in the preceding chapters. **

**Either way, please enjoy the long-awaited (at least, I _hope_ it was long-awaited) first chapter **

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**Chapter 1 - Where It All Began**

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It had been eleven, torturous hours since she had boarded the plane - six of which she had spent with her eyes firmly shut in a pathetic attempt to catch some sleep. After the seventh, she had given up and taken to researching the infamous 'Ouran Host Club' of Ouran Private Academy - a club that had forced her dearest friend to into modern-day servitude, poetically speaking.

She had found an entire website dedicated to the troupe: complete with wallpaper and screensaver PDFs; biographies; a schedule for upcoming club events; an auction sight; a photo gallery; and a place where she could pre-order photo books of each Host.

It was fascinating, really, but she had to move on to her next task: noting the information from the bios (and Google searches) and committing them to memory.

Suoh, Tamaki: the 'Princely' type and founder/King of the Host Club; an oxymoronic statement, if there ever was one. He was chivalrous and a flirt in front of his clientele - and a complete goof in front of his friends. He has a volatile relationship with his grandmother due to his lack of legitimacy - which put his position as the heir to the Suoh group at constant risk.

His best friend is Ootori, Kyouya, and he is the current crush of Fujioka, Haruhi - if she was reading into her friend's letters right, that is.

Oh, and she mustn't forget that he seemed to have an almost endearing fascination with 'commoners'.

She sighed before she double-clicked her mouse and moved on to the next file.

Ootori, Kyouya: the 'Cool' type and co-founder of the Host Club - is also known as the Shadow King due to his rumored controlling personality. His blood type (AB) was often associated with double-personalities - giving a whole new meaning to the saying 'different side of the coin'. He likes anything that is spicy - that was something they had in common, she mused. His father; Ootori, Yoshio, is a business associate of my grandmother's. His family was primarily involved in the medical trade, and one of his older brothers - Yuuichi, she believed - saved her parents' life on more than one occasion.

An interesting character. But, then again, weren't they all?

She plucked a Wasabi-flavored Dorito from the bag before she took a bite; chewing thoughtfully as she moved onto the next files.

Hitachiin, Hikaru: the older of the Hitachiin twins. The 'Little Devils' type with his younger brother, Kaoru. The 'seme' in their BL act. He's the son of the world-renowned fashion designer; Hitachiin, Yuzuha. He had a penchant for maple syrup - as did his younger brother. The more volatile of the pair.

The only documented differences between the two (aside from their foot and finger prints; ten minute age difference; personal preferences; etc.) were their differing grades in English and Math.

Her lips curled up slightly as read on. She had always had a particular fascination for the two doppelgangers, since they reminded her of her own experience as a twin - particularly when Haruhi told her how closely knit their relationship was, and how she was one of the first to be able to tell them apart.

She blinked; clearing her throat as she moved on to the next files - Haninozuka, Mitsukuni's and Morinozuka, Takashi's.

He is the national champ for both Judo and Karate - and it was apparent that his smaller stature was not a hindrance in the slightest. He is the 'Boy-Lolita' type, and he has a penchant for cake and 'Usa-chan' - his stuffed bunny. He hosted as a package pair with his cousin; Morinozuka, Takashi: who is both the national champ in Kendo as well as the Captain of Ouran's Kendo Club, as well as the 'Strong, Silent' type - for his silent disposition, she supposed.

She placed her index finger on her chin; a thoughtful look on her face as her eyes flitted to each of the pictures on the screen before she reached out and ran her fingers over each of their faces - stopping at Haruhi's.

If she were completely honest with herself, she really did want to go back - albeit only to see Haruhi in person again. At the same time, however, even the thought of setting foot back in Japan sent cold chills down her back and twisted her stomach into a double-knot.

She forced herself to take in a shaky intake of breath as she wrung her hands together. _'Quit being so cowardly,' _She chided herself, _'Think about how Miku would be; she'd be on the top of the world at the thought of seeing Haruhi again! _She_ wouldn't let fear and paranoia rule her life!'_

A soft, warm touch shattered her inner musings. Tsubaki turned to the source, and blinked when she saw the kind face of a beautiful young woman. "Are you alright, Miss?"

She cleared her throat; and nodded, "Yes, I'm fine, Miss...?"

She caught on and smiled warmly at me, "Fuyumi. Fuyumi Ootori."

Tsubaki's eyes widened the tiniest bit as she recognized the name, and she switched to Japanese. "Ootori-san?"

Said woman blinked, "You speak Japanese?"

Tsubaki nodded slowly, "I was... born there." She stuck her hand out, "Kojima, Tsubaki. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

When she said 'Kojima', Fuyumi's eyes widened slightly, "Kojima? As in, Kojima Enterprise?"

She smiled, "The very same,"

Fuyumi nodded; her eyebrows furrowed, "But... you haven't been to Japan for... what? Five years?"

Tsubaki bit her lip, "Five years, seven months, and fifteen days - to be exact..." At Fuyumi's questioning glance, she clarified: "I counted."

Fuyumi blinked; an amused smile on her face. "I... suppose that makes sense, Kojima-chan." Then she placed a contemplative hand on her chin as she frowned, "But... what on Earth could make you want to come back to Japan after all this time?"

There was a long pause as she inwardly scowled. It was a legit question, she supposed, but it was one that she had no desire to answer. "I... wanted to see a friend, so I'm transferring to her school - Ouran, I believe it was called?"

That wasn't exactly a lie - but it was only the superficial part of the truth.

Meanwhile, Fuyumi's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Ouran Private Academy? My little brother goes there!"

_'I know,' _she thought, but she merely said: "Oh? What's his name and year?"

Fuyumi's face softened as she replied, "Ootori, Kyouya. He's a second-year."

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After her little chat with Fuyumi, Tsubaki had felt... surprisingly relaxed. She had shut down her laptop, stuffed it back in her bag, and closed her tray table before she slumped back in her seat; reclining it as she sighed contentedly.

She glanced outside the window; and smiled. The otherwise pitch-black sky glittered with bright, white lights; like salt spilled across a black backdrop... or a smile - a beautiful, bright smile.

It reminded her of Miku's.

She felt something warm slip down her cheek as she felt her eyes - for the first time since the accident - get heavy and slide shut as she drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

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"Oj...-sama!"

Tsubaki's right brow twitched. _'Who's calling me?'_

"Pl...se...wak...up!"

She furrowed her brows before she near-pried her eyes open. A muffled yawn escaped her lips, and she began to rub her left eye with one hand as her vision started to adjust to the light.

The sight in front of her nearly made her laugh; a flight attendant, just around Haruhi's height stood in front of her. Her hat was slightly out of place, and the elastic band that held her blonde pony-tail together looked just about ready to fall out and make friends with the floor. Her clothes were slightly wrinkled, and she looked like she was ready to spit acid before she seemed to find herself and forced something reminiscent of a smile onto her face. "Ojou-sama, we have arrived in Japan. All the other passengers have exited already, so if you don't mind..." The lady pointed over to the door. "Would you please leave?"

Tsubaki's brows rose past her forehead. The lady - Rhonda, if she was reading the letters on her nametag right - had guts. She'd give her that.

"Ah, yes. I apologize for the inconvenience." She unbuckled her seatbelt before she picked her bag up from under the seat in front of her and made her way over to the overhead cabin and pulled her carry-on out and set it on the floor before she pulled out the retractable handle. "Thank you for waiting this long, Rhonda-san,"

Said woman's brow twitched as she squeezed her eyes shut in obvious annoyance. "It's no problem, Ojou-sama..." She practically spat out the honorific as she watched her exit the plane, and Tsubaki could have sworn she heard the woman mutter: "And good riddance."

Normally, this would have angered her. Particularly this early in the morning. However, since she was just happy she had managed to get some shut-eye _without_ the use of a sleeping pill, she decided to just let it go and get her luggage from the baggage claim.

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Her eyes darted from left to right as she searched for something familiar - a face; a sign; a name... anything.

She finally caught sight of a man dressed all in black - aside from some white gloves, that is - holding up a sign that read, in neat Hirogana characters, 'Kojima'.

She put on a soft smile; the heels of her boots clacking against the granite floor as she walked over to him - the man who was going to take her back to her house. Drive her down _that_ street.

The place Where it all Began.

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**I am so sorry that it took me so long to put this back up. **

**So... what did you think of Tsubaki's interaction with Fuyumi?**

**To be honest, though, I didn't plan that; it just... sort of... wrote itself?**

**Whatever. Either way, don't forget to review! **


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